Kingdom Hearts: Endless
by Unborn Lord Xion
Summary: Birth by Sleep. Xehanort's Memories. The Keyblade Master. Chasers. The Two Departed. Keyblade War. Maleficent's Apprentice. Endless ties that bind. 3: A pillar of fire. Three broken pieces. The first great battle.
1. New Dawn

Chapter One:

New Dawn

The smell of salt hung in the air around the beaches, tossed up by the power of the gentle waves crashing at Sora's feet. The scent was almost like an old friend by now, a constant companion that he cherished daily after his long absence from Destiny Islands. It was almost as dear to him as the feel of cool water lapping at his ankles, or the way the sea turned to liquid fire as the sun set. Almost as dear a friend as Riku or Kairi.

He stood amidst the tide with his school jacket slung over one shoulder, the top buttons of his shirt opened so he could feel the sweet, cooling breeze. His tousled brown hair hung low in his face, damped slightly with the sweat and water that were part of a good game of Bliztball.

It had been almost a year since Sora, the great Keyblade Master (well, one of four, really), had come home from his battle against Organization XIII. A year since he and Riku had at last rended the shell of Xemnas open, and left the last part of Xehanort to vanish. A year since he had received a letter from the King.

That last bottled letter had held a short message, just a few scrawled lines on the pure white parchment.

"Something is happening. Wait for news."

And that was it. So he had waited, day after day, for something new to happen. But nothing had yet. A year.

"Something on your mind, Sora?"

Sore didn't even have to turn to see who it was. It was Riku, of course, Riku who always joined him in waiting, even if he stayed longer to do his duties as Class President. Sora had run against him but, as always, Riku won out in the end. Well, almost always.

Silently, his best friend moved up next to him, the soft thud the followed most likely his school bag. Sora had already ditched his at home, of course.

"Just watching the sunset," Sora had said softly, the sky blue of his eyes never wavering from the crimson-slashed sky.

"Just the sunset?" Riku asked, sounding a tad skeptical. He tilted his head to look at Sora's eyes, and saw an intensity in his eyes that was made it clear that what he had said was far from the truth.

But, regardless, Sora just muttered a quiet, "Yeah," and kept staring.

"Aw, you too are so romantic"

Sora barely had time to turn his head before Kairi had launched towards them, slinging an arm around each boy's shoulders. She planted a quick kiss on both of their cheeks, and pulled back with a playful grin on her face. Riku shot her a dry look, but Sora merely turned back to the horizon.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked, concern showing on her face.

"Nothing," Sora replied simply, and quite honestly. Nothing was wrong, as far as he knew. At least, not on Destiny Islands. But he could feel in his bones that things hadn't settled down elsewhere. Now he just had to keep waiting.

"Sora..."

"Listen, Sora," Riku began sternly. "We all saw the message from the King. But you can't keep waiting for something to hit. You've got to have faith that he can handle it."

"I know," Sora sighed. "I'm just nervous something is gonna happen and...I won't be able to help this time."

Riku just chuckled and stood up tall, ruffling Sora's already messy hair. "Don't be such a punk. If the King needs help, he knows exactly who to call. Now, come on, hero: let's get some training in, if you're so worried."

Sora turned and flashed Riku a broad grin. "Only if you're ready to _lose_."

Riku smirked in turn and stood up straight, rolling out his shoulders as a preliminary stretch. "You wish. Come on, bust out that Keyblade."

In a flash, each boy had summoned up their weapon. Riku held his Soul Eater aloft in one hand, while Sora stood with Kingdom Key clutched in both hands, crouched low to the ground. Before either could begin, however, a third Keyblade entered their field of vision.

"Sorry, boys, but this time, I'm taking the crown," Kairi said, sun glittering off of Oathkeeper. Sora had returned her lucky charm after the battle with Organization XIII and, by extension, passed Oathkeeper onto her. In her other hand, however, the Pure Light that Riku had given her appeared as well.

"Aw, now that's just cheating," Riku said, grin never faltering.

"It'll give you an excuse when I beat you," Kairi cried, jumping into the air and lashing out towards the taller boy.

He stepped back, raising Soul Eater defensively, and both of her weapons struck it harmlessly. Sora took the advantage to rush forward, rolling to the side and sweeping Riku's feet out from beneath him. Riku fell back onto the sand but quickly rolled into a crouch. Kairi, in the meanwhile, turned her attention to the brunette, throwing fierce blows from left and right.

If anything, the uneventful year had provided an excellent opportunity for Kairi to get a grasp of Keyblade fighting. And with two Keyblade Masters as her teachers, she quickly learned all their tricks and made quite a few of her own. She had decided to take on two Keyblades to further differentiate herself, and Sora had to admit that she was no slouch in battle these days.

In a flash, Riku had rejoined the fray, evidently on the side of Kairi. Now with three blades flashing at his head and slowly decreasing room to back towards, he was pressed for options.

"Come on, Sora!" Riku yelled, stepping back after a blocked stab to the torso. "I thought you were the true Keyblade master!"

"I am!" he shot back, lifting his Key-less arm to block Kairi's downward slash and just narrowly missing the blade in the process. He swung out with his blade and managed to strike Riku in the chest with the blunt end.

Seizing the opportunity, he pushed up with his arm and sent Kairi staggering back. As soon as he was completely free, he launched himself forward at the momentarily off-guard Riku and tackled him to the ground. There was a brief struggle that ended with Sora's Kingdom Key pressing down on Riku's collarbone.

"Yield," Sora said smugly.

"When'd you learn a big word like that," Riku shot back, eyes narrowed.

"Sh-Shut up!" Sora yelled defensively, and kneed Riku sharply in the ribs.

Riku winced and glared up at Sora. "Fine, I yield!"

"I don't!" Kairi shouted suddenly, and Sora felt the cold metal of two Keyblades on his throat. Kairi's breath was hot by his ear, and he could smell the perfume she'd put on this morning mixed with sweat. "What about you?"

"I...I yield," he said weakly, trying to pull his throat back away from the glittering weapons.

"Good!" Kairi cooed cheerfully, and then her weapons were gone in a flash of light. She helped Sora to his feet, and he helped up Riku in turn.

The relative silence, however, was shattered by a slow clap.

"Good show, good show!"

The trio turned sharply, and Sora's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the man in the black hood who stood down the beach. There was a plain black mask on his face, and although the coat looked different in design from those of Organization XIII, he couldn't help remembering them.

"Who are you?" Sora snarled, pointing the tip of Kingdom Key at the mysterious man.

"My name is not important, Sora the Keyblade Master," the man said smoothly. "But if you insist, you can simply call me the Master."

Riku snorted quietly. "The Master?"

"Indeed. And I think my subordinates would back me up on that."

In a flash, portals of energy began to open around the man in black. Sora could only watch in awe as more black-clad people stepped forth, each wearing a mask and a hood. At last, thirteen stood atop the beach.

"So, this is the legendary trio?" drawled the man to the Master's left. His mask was black as well, but slashed with silver. "They don't seem so tough."

"Yeah, hardly a challenge at all," laughed another, standing further down. His mask was streaked with dark green.

"What do you want?" Riku shouted, raising Soul Eater much as Sora had done.

"Many things," the Master said simply. "Much more valuable things than you can even comprehend, little mortal."

"Mortal?" asked Sora, eyebrows knitting together.

"Aye, mortal," the tallest of the men growled, the gold on his mask shining in the fading light.

"We are beyond the trappings of mortality, Keyblade Master," the Master said raising a gloved hand. "For we are Endless, beings neither of light or dark!" Energy crackled in his hand, streaks of what looked like white and black electricity coiling around his fingers. "Without mortal shells to tie us down, we are invincible!"

"No one is invincible," Kairi scoffed, crossing her arms and looking stern.

"And we'll prove it!" Sora yelled, sliding into a battle ready stance.

He was only met with laughter, however.

"You'll prove it?" the Master jeered. "Oh, Keyblade Master, you slay me with your wit alone! Come, come, show me your power!"

He stepped forward slowly, the rest of the cloaked men stepping back. Sora glared and charged forward, ignoring a protesting shout from Riku and Kairi, and jumped high into the air, bringing his weapon down through the Master. There was a rush of inky darkness around him and then he was on the beach again. He whirled to watch the Master fade out of existence, a smoky break through his middle...

...but then he reformed, almost instantly, and turned to face Sora. The boy could see pitiless golden eyes shining in the eye slots.

"Simply pathetic, Keyblade Master," he drawled, lifting his hand again.

Sora felt the wind burst forth from his lungs as a bolt of energy struck his chest. He didn't remember flying through the air, or even hitting the ground, but it must have happened, for the next thing he knew, he was lying in the sand, Kingdom Key sitting beside him. The Master slowly stepped above him, pressing a boot onto his chest.

"I should slay you know and save myself the trouble..."

"Stop!"

The Master whirled, and suddenly Riku was there, Soul Eater flickering has Riku slashed forward at the cloaked man. A cut nearly passed through his neck, but he disappeared before it hit, reappearing behind the Keyblade Master.

"...But you three aren't worth the effort. The Flux should be enough to deal with you."

And then, the thirteen vanished, one after the other. The last two were the silver-masked man, and a blue-masked person who leaned against him. They vanished in unison, in a flash of energy.

But as quickly as they left, new beings arrived.

The entities resembled Dusks, but only from the fact that they were always moving, and had a roughly humanoid shape and stance. These things, however, were an indigo color, with streaks of white and black fluctuating on their bodies. They had glowing golden eyes, no mouths, and the only other identifying marks seemed to be the bright white circles on their chests, which had a stylized "X" through the middle. Their limbs were constantly changing, growing and reforming without rhyme or reason.

"What...what are these things?" Sora cried, grabbing Kingdom Key and getting to his feet.

No one had time to answer before one of the things launched itself at him, arms stretching out like taffy towards his face. He swung his Keyblade up and it severed the limbs easily enough, so he set to work hacking through the main body. It fell to gooey peaces, rather than disappearing into darkness, which was mildly perturbing.

"And...What's that emblem?" he asked, pointing to the undamaged symbol on a piece of the creature.

"Hell if I know," Riku grunted, pushing his Soul Eater through one of the monsters. It burst into black smoke as he cut through its abdomen, which caused Sora to blink.

"Hey, why did yours vanish?" Sora whined. "Mine is still...gooey!"

"And alive!" Kairi shouted. "Sora, watch out!"

He twisted just in time to raise his Keyblade to block the attack it launched against him. It looked undamaged yet again, but he slashed forward again, this time cutting right through the center. As his blade hit the symbol in its chest, it vanished just like the one Riku had slain.

"It...It's the symbol!" Sora shouted.

"Already figured...nng...that out!" Riku growled, fighting off two of the things at once. Sora cut through one on his back, and saw Kairi charged through the monsters out of the corner of his eye.

But no matter how many the three seemed to cut down, more kept appearing. The indigo things lashed out with unnaturally long limbs, flying through the air, grappling Keyblades and limbs, and generally making it harder to fight the rest. At last, the trio stood back to back, seemingly surrounded.

"Just...too many," Sora panted.

"What are we...gonna do?" Kairi gasped, slashing through one as it advanced.

"Keep fighting, that's what," Riku said coolly.

The monsters began to advance again, but never got very far. For before they could even get within striking range, a loud voice rang out.

"Thundaga!"

A flash of lighting, and suddenly the monsters were reduced to smoke. The loud roar of an engine filled the air, and Sora threw his eyes up to the sky just in time to see a ship descending.

"The Gummi ship!" he cheered.

From out of the window, he could see Donald leaning down, staff in hand.

"Hold on!" he quacked. "We're gonna beam you outta here!"

"Roger!" Sora called back.

There was a sudden flash of light, and the world around them slowly began to dissolve.

A new adventure was beginning.


	2. The Rundown

Chapter Two:

The Rundown

When the world faded back into focus, Sora was on the familiar Gummi Ship, even in the same seat he'd always had. He looked around and quickly spied Riku and Kairi flopped on the floor.

"Ah! You guys alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Riku groaned sitting up slowly and rubbing his head. "Man, that beaming was a bit of a rush."

"Had to make it quick, sorry," Donald quacked. "We had to get you away from the Endless before they did any real damage."

Then Sora really realized where he was, and who he was with. His face lit up, and he tackle-hugged the duck.

"Donald! It's so good to see you!"

Donald, meanwhile, quacked and howled, trying to manage the controls and shove the boy off at the same time.

"I'm trying to fly here!"

Mercifully, Sora detached himself from the avian magician and launched himself instead at Goofy.

"Goofy!"

"Sora!"

"Is...Is King Mickey here?" Riku cut in.

Just then, the small top-hat wearing Jiminy Cricket hopped onto the dashboard, letting out a small cough.

"Now, now," he said. "Before you all get too excited, there's some news you three need to hear."

Riku looked to him, as if for answers, and Jiminy sighed.

"The King is at home, defending the castle from any attacks, I'm afraid," he said solemnly. But when he saw the brief fear on Riku's face, he waved his hands quickly. "Not that the castle is in any real danger, of course! It's just...more Heartless have been popping up lately. Many more. And those other monsters you fought on the islands, too."

"What…were they?" Sora asked, remembering the strange-ness of the monsters and the way they had instantly reformed.

"Those are the Endless," the cricket began, opening his journal. "They are a completely new kind of entity, the likes of which we've never seen before. They exist purely as energy – the freed mind and heart of a person who has had their body torn away. Most of them are unstable, much like the Nobodies, slowly dissolving at the core. To sustain themselves, they must find energy."

"Energy?"

"Specifically the energy of Hearts," Jiminy sighed. "Those that you saw on the beach were the weakest kind of Endless, the Flux, who constantly change because they cannot sustain their form. And there were also their complete opposite in power; Neo-Organization XIII."

"A...Another Organization?" Sora cried.

"Yes," Jiminy said, nodding. "And this one may be even stronger, for they cannot be defeated easily. The only way to slay an Endless is to break the Endless Seal upon it. Only that will fully dispel their energy. The Neo-XIII, however, are especially troublesome because they have hidden their Seals.

"But the Endless aren't all you have to worry about," Jiminy sadly added. "Maleficent and Pete have taken the World That Never Was and are building a greater number of Heartless from the darkness. The only thing that can stop the mass spreading of darkness and Endless is to defeat Maleficent and the Organization.

"The King, once he has made Disney Castle safe again, will be going to fight Maleficent head-on. So it is up to you, Sora, Riku, Kairi, to fight the Endless, before they can enact their greatest plan."

"Plan? What's their plan?" Kairi asked, cutting straight to the important matter.

"They intend to shed the Hearts of the worlds, and make all the multiverse Endless."

There was a pause, and Sora piped up again. "Why's that so bad?"

"Why's it so bad?" Donald squawked from his seat.

"Well, Hearts have a lot of energy, y'know?" Goofy began at his usual slow pace. "So when you free the Heart, the energy is released unless there's somethin' to contain it."

"A shell," Riku murmured, nodding.

"The Endless can maintain a Shell with the energy from their heart and the concentration they draw from their Soul, while the darkness does the same for the Heartless," Jiminy explained. "However, the Worlds are neither dark, nor do they have souls. Just Hearts and a Shell. When the Endless peel their shell away..." he trailed off, a shadow going across his face.

"Boom," Riku finished for him, equally dark. "The Heart goes off."

"Exactly," Jiminy said, nodding solemnly. "The Organization either doesn't know or doesn't care. They might be trying a way to stabilize the energy of the worlds, or absorb it on their own, but so far, they haven't been successful."

"What do you mean? They've already de-Shelled a world?" Sora asked urgently.

"They have. And it had all the power of a supernova. We were lucky to warp out of there just in time to only take minor damage."

"So, let's go track them down, take them out before they can do it again!" Sora said immediately, eyes lighting up with that old hunger for adventure.

"There's a problem," Jiminy said, and Sora's face quickly fell. "While the gateways you opened between worlds on your last journey remained open, there are numerous other worlds sealed shut. The Endless are based on one of these sealed worlds, it would seem, so you'll have to open new gates. Along the way, you'll likely come across Endless and possibly even the Organization. Or, at least, clues."

"Well, do we have a first stop?" Kairi cut in. This was her first real multiverse journey, and while it was a daunting prospect, she also felt an eagerness for the adventure ahead to begin.

"As a matter o' fact, we do!" Goofy laughed, throwing in an "ahyuk!" at the end which made Sora feel just perfectly at home.

"Where?" he asked, eyes brightening immediately.

"Radiant Garden."


	3. Return to the Garden

Chapter Three:

Return to the Garden

The throne room of Maleficent's grand castle was wreathed in the darkness. Despite being pulled under its thrall once before, Maleficent was still confident she could command it, so long as that snake of a boy Riku was out of the way. The only light, in fact, came from the strange green fire of torches that surrounded the room, and the glowing pillar of light in its center.

"Now, we best make this fast, Miss Maleficent," the man in the pillar said with a hint of southern drawl. "I have a meeting with the local Boy Scout troop in 20 minutes, and I'd hate to be late."

"Just assure me that things are going as planned," Maleficent said dryly.

"Oh, right as rain," the man replied jovially. "Things are all lined up for the Heartless invasion, all my associates are paid off, no complications at all."

"Excellent. Then you may go, Wilkins."

"Pleasure chatting with you, Maleficent."

The face of Mayor Wilkins flickered out of view, and the torches became the sole source of illumination.

"Y'know, my mama told me never trust a politician, Maleficent," Pete piped up from next to the foul witch's throne. "You sure we should rely on him?"

"He'll do his job," Maleficent curtly replied. "As will you, if you know what's good for you."

"And remember what company you're in," a chilling voice sneered from in the gloom. A hulking, hairy shape was visible in the eerie green glow, his top hat faintly illuminated. "You have a future King in your midst."

"Aw, clam it, Rat boy," Pete scoffed.

"What was that?" Rattigan snarled swiftly. "You impudent little..."

"Silence!" Maleficent cried sharply, and Rattigan fell silent. "I shall have no bickering in my chamber."

"Maa," a new voice sighed from afar. "Did we come at a bad time?"

Faintly visible in the doorway of the chamber were three figures, just out of range of the fire light. Still, the silver hair of the one in front was turned a pale green by the glow, the only sign of his appearance.

"Ah, you have arrived," Maleficent said, a sick smile on her lips. "I'm glad you arrived when you did, actually. I want to waste no time in our business."

"You said you could return something that belongs to us," another of the three said gruffly.

"Patience, my friend, patience," was the witch's not-so-soothing plea. "All in due time. First, I need you to do a job for me."

"What kind of job?" the third said, voice sleek and charismatic.

"You have heard of the Keyblade Master? I want him, and all his comrades, dead."

"And in exchange, you'll give us…" the first began.

"Your hearts, yes," Maleficent finished for him, nodding. "It will be given to you as soon as you do this for me."

"Well then," the leader chuckled. "Where can we find this Keyblade Master?"

"He'll be arriving in Radiant Garden any minute now, so you might want to hurry."

"Done."

And the trio was gone.

While the streets of Radiant Garden were mostly empty, it was lined with shops, doors flung wide and filled with goods. Sora stared in awe at the rebuilt city, but mostly at the glittering castle that stood in the distance. Great windows gleamed and shone in the sunlight, with pennants fluttering from high towers.

"Wow," he gasped. "They've really done a number on this place."

"It's incredible," Riku said, nodding.

"Glad you like it!" a cheerful voice called from afar.

Sora whirled just in time to see the 'Great Ninja' Yuffie jump from a rooftop onto the ground in front of the band. She landed elegantly, and beamed at the group as she stood in front of them, dressed in similar attire as last time. The only change Sora could notice was the neon green trim her shirt now sported, and a similarly colored scarf around her neck. Her more-colorful style seemed to suit the healthier Radiant Garden.

"Yuffie!" he cheered, beaming back at his old pal. "I see you've been fixing things up nicely. Or, at least, Leon has," he added teasingly.

She scoffed and turned her nose up at him.

"I'll have you know I've been working just as hard as he has! Harder than you, anyway," she said sulkily, but she quickly smiled again. "But how've you been, anyway? We've been waiting for you to show up again."

"I've been good," Sora replied, shrugging. "But, it's been kinda boring, stuck on my Island."

"We've been keeping him in shape, though," Kairi cut in, slinging an arm around Sora's shoulder and noogie-ing him. He sputtered and tried to shove her off.

"What about you guys? Any Heartless?" Riku asked, ignoring his tussling friends for now.

"Not that I've seen, no," Yuffie said, shaking her head. "Why, is something up?"

"There's been a big surge of Heartless lately," Donald grumbled, tapping his foot in an agitated fashion. He was clearly eager to skip the chit-chat and get back to business.

"And the Bendless," Goofy said sagely, as placid as Donald was high-strung.

"Endless!"

"Er, right! Endless!"

"Endless?" Yuffie asked, but before Donald could say anything, Riku waved his hand dismissively.

"Long story."

"Yeah, well, speaking of stories," Yuffie began, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "Leon's got somethin' he wanted to tell you. That's why he was hoping you guys would show up against soon. He should be up at the castle." As if necessary, she pointed directly at the gleaming towers.

"The Castle, got it!" Sora repeated, nodding, having finally shoved Kairi off himself.

"I'd show you the way, but I've got some stuff to do in town," Yuffie said apologetically, a flight flush dusting her cheeks. "Sorry about that!"

In a flash, she jumped back onto the high roof she'd leapt from, and disappeared in a flutter of scarf.

"She's fast!" Kairi said, sounding somewhat amazed as she stared after the vanishing ninja.

Sora and Riku, long ago used to superhuman feats, just shrugged.

"But come on, you guys!" Sora said, face radiating enthusiasm. "Let's go see Leon already!"

"But the Endless…!" Donald began.

"Come on, they're not going anywhere," Sora scoffed. "They're _End_less, after all."

He was off and running before anyone could stop him so, with Riku leading the way, they followed him through the streets of Radiant Garden, the Castle's gleaming towers their only directon.

High above, glittering golden eyes watched silently as they went. It paused there until they vanished from sight, and then it was gone.

Sora stared out in awe at the Great Maw, and his mind twisted back to the battle he'd had there with a thousand Heartless. At that time, it had been teeming with the dark forces, and he'd ripped into them with fury after the apparent death of Goofy. Now, though, it was completely empty.

"Hard to believe we fought a war here once," he muttered, staring at the dusty plane.

He felt a hand drop on his shoulder and turned to see it was Riku's.

"Come on," Riku said softly. "We've gotta get to Leon."

"Right," Sora said, nodding.

The group started forward through the area, but as they approached a closing of the rock walls around the canyon again, there was a sudden roar of engines swelling around them. They stopped at the edge of the canyon at stared up at the top. Just barely peeking over both sides…were tires.

"Ne, Brother, is this the Keyblade Master?" a voice called, smooth as velvet.

"I'm pretty sure," replied another voice, which absolutely reeked of confidence and made a chill run through Sora's bones.

"We've finally caught them, Brother!" a third voice called, manly and gruff. "Now let's kill them, quickly!"

"Who are you?" Sora cried, Keyblade appearing in his hand on cue. He could see, from the corner of his eye, that the same was happening for Riku and Kairi.

"None of your concern," the cocky voice shot back. "Now, shut up and die!"

In a flash, Shadows started emerging all around them. Sora merely scoffed and charged into the swarm. In a single swipe, three exploded into clouds of darkness. He ducked and weaved around their attacks, cutting through them like a whirlwind. This was his strength, this was his ecstacy, the thrill of battle charging through his veins.

Lightning sizzled around him as Donald let loose, and he felt Goofy's shield make his hair ripple from the wind, but never even flinched. Even the addition of Riku and Kairi was seamless, his darting speed and her fluid dance adding to the carnage.

Even as Soldier Heartless appeared, he never slowed in his brutal strikes. What had once been feared adversaries were now mere rice stalks before the scythe that was his Keyblade. He struck effortlessly at the weakest spots on their bodies, knowing precisely where to hit to bring the shadowy monsters down.

He leapt and ducked, rolled and dodged, battle them away with the blunt end and cut through them with the deceptively dull-looking key.

Before he even realized it, the tide was gone, vanished in the smoky gloom of shadow. He stood, in that Eye of the Hurricane, and turned his face once again up towards the strange, unknown visitors.

"Hey!" he yelled. "That all you got?"

The three merely laughed at this, a smug, bubbling chuckle. It was a sound as dark and slick as oil.

"No, Keyblade Master," scoffed the one with the silver tongue. "That's not all."

"Not all by a long shot!" the gruff one barked, laughing again.

"Well, brothers?" sneered the leader. "Which one to use?"

"The red one! Use the Fire!" advised the gruff one, speaking with the eagerness of a child.

There was a flash of light, and dark clouds started to roll in high overhead. As Sora looked back, the entrance to the canyon was sealed shut by an unpleasantly familiar wall of energy. The darkness grew overhead, slowly spiraling down towards them until it was a tornado, striking the earth in front of Sora's feet. He stumbled back, shielding his face, and the darkness slowly faded.

Within it stood a towering dark beast, human in body but with a face half wolf and half demon. Long horns curled off the back of its head, and a mane of flames crackled along its back. It hefted up two great fists, claws tipping its fingers, and let out a mighty roar.

"Say hello to Ifrit SIN!" laughed the leader. "I hope you like it!"

Behind him, Sora's allies took their battle stances, and he did the same. His eyes locked on the gleaming gold of the Ifrit SIN.

"Ready guys?" he called.

"Ready, Sora!" Donald cried back. Riku and Kairi nodded.

There was another roar from the beast, a flash of fire building in its maw, and the battle begun.


	4. Fire and the Broken Ones

Chapter Four:

Fire and the Broken Ones

"Guys, move!"

The beast's head snapped forward and a blast of fire came shooting out. Just in time, the five leapt away, and Sora skidded back from where the flames blackened the earth. He scanned the area just long enough to make sure everyone was all right, then turned to Donald.

"Donald!"

"Roger!" the Duck replied instantly, raising his staff. "Blizzara!"

Shards of ice shot out, striking the Heartless in the chest. It roared and staggered back, and Sora leapt in to strike at its massive fists, the most readily accessible part of it. He saw Goofy's shield whip past, striking it squarely in the head.

Enraged, the beast's fists swung back, suddenly bursting into flames. Sora pulled back just in time to avoid the shockwave that followed the punch it drove into the earth. Flames burst around the spot, and Sora hefted up his Keyblade to block the heat. Another fist came down nearly on top of Donald, but he was out of the way in time.

Suddenly, a familiar light flashed behind Sora's eyes. He charged forward, running up the creature's arm before it could pull it back and leapt over its shoulder. It snarled in rage, and he brought his Keyblade crashing down on its head. Before it could lash back, he jumped down and hit the ground running. Its fist smashed to the ground behind him, and he heard Riku laying into it with his own Keyblade.

"Not bad, Sora!" Riku yelled, leaping back from another burst of fire.

"Ha, you haven't seen anything yet!" Sora shot back, shooting a Blizzard of his own at the monster's head. "I'm still rusty!"

"Come on, I've beat you good before!" laughed the older boy, rolling out from under its fist to slash it a few more times.

"Before I had the Keyblade, you mean!" Sora scoffed, not noticing when Goofy's shield crashed into the Heartless's head. Or how the Heartless was rearing back, face pointed at Goofy and Kairi, until…

"Kairi!" Riku yelled.

Sora's head whipped around instantly, just in time to see fire explode around the place where Kairi and Goofy had been standing. He charged towards the spot, yelling loudly.

"Kairi! Goofy!"

"Thunder!"

Thunder cracked and a bolt of electrical energy shot down over the beast's head, stopping the flow of the flames. Sora watched in horror as they faded away, wondering if Cura would be enough, if he could fix them, if...

Then he saw the circle of scorched earth around Kairi and Goofy, the smoke rising from Goofy's shield, and both of Kairi's Keyblades whirling rapidly. She looked over and grinned, Keyblades instantly snapping into her grip once more.

"C'mon, give me some more credit, Sora!" she chided.

Sora was about to reply before he saw the creature throwing its head back from the corner of his eye, flash of light appearing in his mind again. He slid around and swung the Keyblade behind his back. As fire flashed within its jaws, he put all his strength, all his energy into his arm, hurling his Keyblade with all the power he could muster.

It spun through the air like a boomerang, and as the creature swung its head down to face them, lodged between its jaws. The force of the blow threw its head back again, and fire burst out around the Keyblade. With a flare of light, the Kingdom Key appeared in his hand once more.

"Goofy, hit it again! Donald, give us some cover-fire! Er…cover-ice!"

The two reacted in a flash to Sora's words. Goofy hurled his shield again, sending the Heartless reeling, while Donald blasted it with another Blizarra. It staggered back in the canyon, throwing its head back again.

A flash struck Riku's mind the moment it did, and he was off running. Without slowing at all, he leapt onto the wall of the canyon, feet slamming against the stone with such speed that he never fell. As flames licked at the creature's jaws, he arced across the wall over its head. The moment he felt in range, he pushed off, shooting past its massive skull with Keyblade at the ready.

It let out a roar of pain as he cut through it, whipping its fists into the air to slam them against the ground again. Sora and Kairi moved in tandem to strike at its arms as Riku hit the ground, rolling elegantly back onto his feet.

"Nice one, Riku!" Sora cheered.

Riku beamed at the compliment, but it quickly turned to surprise. "Sora, Kairi, move!"

They hadn't noticed as the Ifrit SIN charged its next fire assault, but suddenly small spheres of fire were shooting down around them. Riku leapt away, explosives raining down around him. The others darted around as well, the torrent of fireballs seemingly endless.

"Quit it already!" Donald squawked, blasting it with Blizzard again and again.

The creature bellowed in protest even as a thin coating of frost spread over its furry arms. Sora joined the attack with his own magic, while Goofy struck it in the face again with his shield. It let out a loud roar and started slamming its fists into the ground again and again, ground shaking violently. Sora staggered left and right from the vibrations.

"Cut it out!" Sora yelled. He twisted back his Keyblade, hurling it again in the Strike Raid style.

Struck in the face once more, the creature roared and lifted its hands to hold its wounded head, pausing its attack once again. Sora grinned as his Keyblade returned.

"Take that!" he yelled.

But there was no time for reverie. There was still a battle to fight; the beast wasn't down yet. Sora charged again, Keyblade at the ready, and he saw Riku following.

"Riku, follow me!" he yelled back at his friend, then turned his head to the other side. "Goofy, gimme a boost!"

"Comin' at ya, Sora!" Goofy called back, slinging his shield out again.

Sora pushed off the ground hard, a bolt of lighting crackling past him through the air to keep the Ifrit SIN off balance. As Goofy's shield slid under him, he pushed off it and jumped even higher into the air. He could feel the air whistling around him, see the creature's face ahead of him, the stink of its brimstone breath heavy in the air…

He passed just in time to swing down hard, bashing it in the skull with his Keyblade. Without even looking, he swung his hand back, and Riku took hold. With the momentum of his swing, he rolled around, hurling Riku up with all his might. The older boy cut through the creature again, a cloud of Darkness spraying up from the wound in his shoulder.

"Not enough! Hit it again, Donald!"

But before the last word had even left Sora's mouth, he saw a Keyblade come whirling past his head, on the end of what appeared to be a red rope. It looped around the Heartless's neck once, twice, three times and locked in place. Another bone shaking roar tore loose from its throat, and it threw its head back, fire building again.

When Kairi shot past him on the other end of the rope, strung together with her other Keyblade, he could only stare.

The rope shrank quickly as she looped over its head, and she landed gracefully on its shoulders. Sora stared after her even as he rolled across the ground, getting to his feet. The beast swung a fist and Sora opened his mouth to yell, but she was already jumping over it. She pushed off the limb to go even higher, saving herself from its next punch.

She hovered in the air for a moment, her own hair glowing like fire in the bright sunlight, and then she was shooting down again. The chain linking her to its neck contracted again, and she rocked past its head, cutting a path down its body until she struck the ground. The rope unraveled from her Keyblade's keychain, and the one around its neck vanished, reappearing in her hand.

Ifrit SIN let out a last strangled roar, and fell back with an almost eerie slowness. A pillar of fire erupted around it, and its Heart shot into the air. When the fires died, so faded its body.

Kairi let out a long sigh and fell to her knees.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, running over to her.

He heard Riku do the same, and they both grabbed her shoulders, tugging her to her feet. She tried to push them away, Keyblades winking out of existence, as did theirs. The smile she gave them was tired, but still full of life.

"How…" Riku began.

"What did you do?" Sora gasped. "You…with the rope…and you were flying…!"

Kairi laughed softly, like the tinkling of small bells, and shook her head.

"I have no idea!" she said, smiling more firmly. "I just got this…light in my head, and I did what I knew I should do."

"Light?" Riku asked, eyes widening slowly.

"I got the same thing! When I threw my Keyblade at its mouth…"

"Uh, Sora?" Goofy asked from afar.

"…And I ran up it, too! That was the light!"

"Riku?"

"Oh, it happened when I used my Keyblades like a shield, too!"

"Kairi?"

"And when I ran up the wall, too. I didn't even know I could do that…"

"HEY, you guys!" Donald yelled.

"What?" they all asked at once, turning to face the two.

"They're getting away!"

The Trio shared a glance, and then bolted immediately down the canyon, Donald and Goofy running alongside. The roar of motorcycles could be heard overhead, and Sora was starting wonder just how they'd catch up with that.

Suddenly, the canyon walls dropped sharply in height. Seeing that as his cue, Sora jumped up at the edge, just high enough to grip the top of the canyon wall. Grunting in effort, he tugged himself up, stepping onto the dusty stone floor. Riku jumped up behind him, and they both had to grab Kairi, who didn't have quite their height. Donald scrabbled up propelled by Goofy's shield, and the knight followed quickly.

The road seemed to stretch on forever ahead of them, but Sora charged on heedless, ignoring all shouts of protest behind him. Slowly, the clouds of dust kicked up by the winds whipping around him seemed to break. And sitting off in the distance were three shapes, visible as the figures sitting atop their inert vehicles.

He slowed as he approached, gradually getting a better picture of the warriors in front of him. And as he did, he felt his blood begin to chill.

A single black wing.

Long silver hair.

Coat tails flapping in the wind.

Heart pounding in his throat, he charged forward, stopping just close enough to see the faces of the other two. Both had silver hair, one short and gelled back, the other hanging in his face, and all three had the same leather bodysuits and black wings. But it was the one in front of him that called his attention perfectly.

"S...Sephiroth?" he stammered.

The man turned his head slowly, and Sora saw something terrible in his impossibly bright blue eyes. The face was not Sephiroth's, and yet...he could see Sephiroth there, too.

"Not quite," murmured the man, reaching into the confines of his cloak.

Sora raised his Keyblade immediately, and the man pulled out a gleaming gun, the long barrel edged with a deadly looking blade.

Bang.

"Sora!"

The four ran up just in time to see the smoke curling from the gun's barrel and Sora's shoulders quake with the recoil. The Keyblade slowly swung down, and Sora's head bobbed. Riku's eyes slowly opened in shock, and Kairi instinctively brought her hands up to her mouth as she gasped.

"Sora," Donald said softly, hand clenching tightly around his staff.

"Sora? You...You okay?" Goofy called out, reaching out his hand limply.

The wind howled mournfully and the seconds ticked solemnly in their heads until Sora's head snapped up again, and his Keyblade returned to attention.

"It'll take more than that to take me down!" he yelled.

Slowly, the man in front of him began to chuckle, dropping his gun lazily as he started to laugh. The men behind him joined in, the smaller laughing darkly while the other let out a raucous roar of mirth. He was the first to stand, lifting a well-muscled arm and slapping his hand against the strange, two-pronged device attached.

"Well, aren't you just somethin' special," he scoffed, swiping his thumb across his upper lip.

Sora just glared in response.

"Who are you?" Riku asked coldly, Way to the Dawn appearing in his hand instantly. He saw Kairi do the same.

"Remnants," the longhaired man said smoothly, smiling icily.

"You called us Sephiroth, but that's a bit off," the third man said, and Sora recognized his voice as the one taking charge before. "We're parts. Broken. But when we kill you, Maleficent will bring him back for us!"

"Nothing against you," the large man growled, stepping around his longhaired companion's bike to face Sora head on. "But if we want Big Brother back, you've gotta die!"

A strange flash of light surrounded the man, and suddenly he was at Sora's side, fist hovering over his stomach. Sora only had enough time to look down at this before those two spokes shot out. Electricity jolted through him and he let out a cry before being thrown back into the dirt.

"Sora!" Kairi cried.

"You...!" Riku began.

The man let out another loud roar of laughter, throwing his head back as he let loose. "Come on, Keyblade Master! Is that the best you've got?"

"Loz!" barked the apparent leader. "Stop messing around and finish him already!"

"Alright, alright!" Loz grumbled. "Geez, such a buzz kill, Brother."

He turned back to face Sora, and jerked back in shock as the Keyblade Master rose to his feet, glaring daggers at the man who'd thrown him to the ground. He lifted his Keyblade slowly, pointing it steadily at Loz.

"Who're you gonna finish?" Sora growled.

Loz chuckled darkly as he regained his composure. "You're better than I thought, kid. This is gonna be fun!"

Riku started forward, but Sora cut him off quickly.

"Stop! I'll take these bozos down myself!"

"Sora..." Kairi began.

"Bozos?" Riku said, quirking an eyebrow and forcing himself not to laugh.

"Now come on!" Sora shouted, swinging his Keyblade into a ready position. "Let's do this!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Loz cheered in response.

He charged forward quickly, and Sora ducked under the heavy punch he threw. Sora stabbed forward with the Keyblade quickly, and Loz threw up his knee at the same time. Both grunted in pain and backed up quickly, Loz holding his gut and Sora rubbing his chin.

It didn't last long, though, and Loz jumped in quickly, punching the ground hard. The earth exploded under his fist, but Sora leapt deftly aside. As soon as he hit the ground, the boy burst forward, laying into Loz with a string of slashes from the Keyblade. Loz staggered back, lifting his arms to guard against the onslaught.

"I thought...you were gonna...finish me!"

"If you say so!"

With unnatural speed, Loz reached in, grabbing Sora's Keyblade and stopping it in its tracks. He swung his arm up hard, lifting Sora into the air by the weapon, and starting whirling him over his head. Sora let out a loud cry of shock and held on tightly, and Loz laughed as he let go, sending the boy crashing to the ground once again.

Sora rolled across the dirt, quickly flipping back onto his feet just in time to have Loz dash in front of him. He lifted his Keyblade to guard, but Loz's foot slipped past, the toe of his heavy boot catching Sora's chest and knocking him into the air. The power of Loz's fist sent him flying back yet again as he punched the airborne hero, and Sora hit the ground hard, coughing from the combination of the bone shaking hit and dust filling his lungs.

"Stop playing around Loz," the longhaired man said, sounding completely bored.

"Shut up, Yazoo!"

"Aw, gonna cry?" Yazoo jibed, smirking.

"I'm not crying, you jerk! Now shut up and let me - !"

Loz's head snapped back, Sora's Keyblade whistling through the air with the slightest bit of blood trailing from the edge of its blade, torn away from Loz's chin where the weapon struck. Loz growled and staggered back, rubbing the wound and glaring daggers at his opponent. Sora just grinning smugly at him.

"You should leave the bickering for home," Sora sneered. "Gonna cry now?"

"I'm not crying!" Loz roared, shooting forward with the spokes of his weapon sliding to the ready.

His fist pistoned forward, and Sora watching in awe as the weapon seemed to slow. Light flashed inside his head once again, and just in time he swung his Keyblade up so it was in front of him like a shield. It just fit between the spokes, which shot forward and flashed lighting in open air. Sora smirked again at the slack expression of shock on Loz's face and swung up his Keyblade again, forcing Loz's arm back. He shifted his hands quickly, and brought it crashing down again on top of Loz's head.

Loz growled and stumbled back again, eyes furrowed dangerously. "You little...! I'm gonna kill you so hard!"

"Try me, Loz-er!"

Off to the side, Riku smacked his palm against his face. "Please tell me he did not just say that."

"He did not just say that!" Goofy said proudly.

Like an enraged beast, Loz charged in, arms swinging wildly as he attacked. Sora stepped back quickly, blocking the punches he could and ducking around others, avoiding the blind assault with relative ease. A punch went shooting forward with incredible force but Sora just jumped up over it. Seeing an opening, he pushed off of Loz's arm and spun over him, brining his Keyblade through the air in a circle and smacking it into the back of Loz's head. Pushing off of Loz's back as he fell forward, he spun around through the dirt to face his staggering opponent.

But this time, he had no room to gloat, as Loz shot forward with his after image once again. Sora hefted his Keyblade up again to block the taser, and the spokes fit neatly around the Keyblade's shaft – but didn't extend. Sora's eyes shot open in surprise, and Loz smirked as he swung his other fist out, plowing it directly into Sora's stomach. The boy was lifted off the ground by the force, and Loz brought up his weapon hand to slam it down on Sora's back, sending him crashing into the dirt.

Loz was on him in a flash, not giving him a chance to stand up this time around. The pistols shot back, and then Loz drove his fist forwards, spokes shooting into Sora's back and charging him with electricity. The ground broke under his body and he let out a scream of pain.

"Sora, no!" Donald yelled, swinging his staff down.

He was about to unleash a Thundaga on Loz when a voice rang out, loud and foreign in the environment. All heads turned to face a blur of purple and black as it launched at Loz's head.

"Let 'im go!"

A little girl, with a wild mop of purple hair, was clinging to Loz's shoulders, one arm wrapped around his neck while the other pounded against his head. He growled and reached back to grab her by her too-large black jacket, and flung her to the dirty by Yazoo's feet.

"Little brat! What the hell are you doing?" he roared, keeping a hand fisted in Sora's shirt to keep him from getting far.

"You let him go, you big jerk!" the girl yelled.

Suddenly, arms snaked around her, and the shorthaired leader hefted her up. His sword was drawn before she could react at all, the odd dual blades resting against her throat.

"You're a very stupid little girl," he said cruelly, grinning over her shoulder. "And if you don't get smart quickly, I'm going to kill you. Understand?"

"Lemme go!" she yelled, but didn't struggle.

"I'm afraid not. You see, you're going to be a hostage! Know what that means? No? Well, if the Keyblade Master's little friends do anything, you'll be the one to die first! So they'd better not move if they want your head to stay attached to your shoulders."

"Monster!" Kairi yelled, glaring at the man.

"You let her go right this minute!" Donald said, waving his staff threateningly.

But he just laughed. "Better lower your weapon, duck!"

The little girl let out a gasp as the cold metal pressed closer against her skin. Thin trickles of blood started down her neck from the shallow wounds, and Donald froze immediately. Slowly, he lowered his staff, and with fierce glares on their faces, Kairi and Riku dispelled their Keyblades.

"There's a good band of stupid heroes!" the man cheered. He turned to Yazoo and, same ugly smile on his face, said plainly, "Kill them!"

"You miserable..." Riku began, but was silenced as Yazoo's gun swung up. The click of the safety was deathly loud, and Riku swallowed hard he stared at the barrel of the gun. It glared back, the blank eye of Death itself.

"Goodbye, heroes," Yazoo said calmly.

A gunshot rang out, and the little girl let out a bloodcurdling scream.


End file.
